


We've Been Friends Forever

by Lord_Byron_Mudkippington



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, ラブライブ! 虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会 | Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai (Anime)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:35:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23117845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington
Summary: As the Nijigasaki girls near their big performance, Ayumu has found herself struggling with her concentration. If only a certain someone wasn't so distracting...
Relationships: Uehara Ayumu/Takasaki Yuu
Kudos: 125





	We've Been Friends Forever

**Author's Note:**

> Since the player character doesn't have a name, I'm using the fan name of Anata. When the voting finally gives her a name, I'll change it for this fic and any future fic that users her. Hopefully then she'll get her own character tag.
> 
> Edit (5/15): So it seems Anata has been given the official name of Yuu Takasaki. I'm gonna change her name in my fics to change this.

"Good work everyone," Yuu called out, clapping one final time before smiling at her classmates. The nine girls of the Nijigasaki High School idol club were all tired, sweaty, and satisfied with their performance that day. They had been practicing as much as they could for the day they would stand on stage with Muse and Aqours. It was a terrifying thought knowing that a relatively new group like theirs would be performing with two of the titans of the school idol world, but at the same time they were all excited for what was to come. That was why they were practicing so hard. This was too important for them to slack off on. "I think that's good for today."

"Hoorah!" Ai cheered, pumping her fist before heading to grab a bottle of water. Yuu rounded up some bottles of water and towels, handing them to all of the girls. They all thanked her, giving her smiles and thumbs up before cracking open the fresh water. "Ahh, water is so much more delicious after a hard workout!" Both Karin and Setsuki nodded in assent, while Kanata just slipped to the ground and fell asleep. It was incredible how she could fall asleep on any surface.

"Ah, Ayumu?" Yuu called for her childhood friend, waving her over with a bottle of water in her hand. "Can I talk with you for a minute?" Nodding, Ayumu came over, taking the water with a 'thank you'. "I, uh, I noticed that you were a bit off on your routine. Your foot movements were slower than the others. Is everything alright?" She tilted her head slightly, a look of concern on her face. The biggest performance of their short careers was coming soon, and she didn't want Ayumu to be struggling with something right before then. If there was anything she could do, then she was determined to do it.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry! I think the heat must have gotten to me." She laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Don't worry about me, Yuu. I'll be fine! I can stay afterwards to practice some more." Her brain was far too scattered to do any more practice, even if it was by herself, but she hated to think that she had disappointed Yuu. She had been working so hard to get them all prepared to stand on stage with Muse and Aqours, and she didn't want her closest friend to think she wasn't taking it seriously.

"No, that wouldn't be a good idea. You might hurt yourself, and I'd feel responsible if that happened." Yuu smiled at her, patting her on the shoulder. "We should go home and rest up. There's still tomorrow's practice to work on your steps. Don't worry, okay?" She pumped her fists, showing off the determination she always had when there was something involving idols. "You're going to do great. No, you're going to do _amazing_! I just know it!"

"Th-Thank you." Ayumu smiled as best she could, but her mind was overburdened. The truth that she needed to say was stuck in her throat, and she couldn't speak of her struggles when Yuu had so much faith in her. To let her down now would be terrible... "Let's go home, then." Yuu was right anyway, though not for the reasons she thought. Extra practice that evening wasn't going to perfect her steps when her entire being was in such disarray. How could she even explain to Yuu that it was because of her without making it sound like she was blaming her?

"Hold on a second." Karin suddenly sidled up to the two of them, an easygoing smile on her face. "Hey Yuu, do you mind if I speak with Ayumu really quick? It's about her footwork." Ayumu's stomach dropped. Had her distracted nature been _that_ noticeable? How embarrassing... She looked away shyly from Karin, staring at her feet instead. Why couldn't she just focus?

"Oh, okay. I'll wait for you at the front gates, then." Yuu waved at the two of them, following the other girls out of the school. That just left Karin and Ayumu alone, and tension started to settle down on Ayumu's shoulders. She dared to sneak a look at Karin, who stared back with a knowing look in her eyes. It immediately made her cast her eyes down again. She felt like she was on trial for something.

"Okay, so I didn't exactly _lie_ to Yuu," Karin started with a chuckle, leaning against the wall. "I did notice that your steps were a bit off, but I wanted to talk about _why_ they were off."

"O-Oh?" Ayumu could feel the nervousness rising up in the pit of her stomach. Did Karin somehow know about her personal dilemma? How could she, though? She hadn't told anyone!

Karin leaned in conspiratorially, whispering in her ear: "You have a crush on Yuu, don't you?" She let out a squeak of shock, her face starting to burn. How did Karin figure it out?? Until today, she had thought she'd done such a good job of hiding it.

"H-How did you know?"

"Did you really think you were being subtle?" Karin couldn't help but snicker, which made Ayumu's blush worsen. "I can't speak for everyone, but I could see you following her like a lost puppy from a mile away." Oh Gods, she really _hadn't_ been subtle, had she? She didn't understand! Nothing she had done made her feel that she was broadcasting her feelings like that. "You're a good teammate, Ayumu, but everyone knows that you would do _anything_ for Yuu."

"So, you know, then..." Ayumu sighed, her face falling as she stared holes into the floor. "It's true. I know I shouldn't let myself become so distracted, but I can't help it. We're getting so close to our performance, and all I can think of is her." She covered her face with her hands, as if she could hide herself away from the truth. "I've had feelings for Yuu since middle school, but I can't tell her. I just..." She struggled to articulate exactly _why_ she couldn't just admit her feelings to Yuu. Thinking about it, it didn't make much sense, but that didn't mean she was going to suddenly get up and do it. "It doesn't feel right."

"Why doesn't it feel right?" Karin looked at Ayumu curiously. She knew that not everyone was as bold as she was. It wasn't fair to assume that Ayumu could just pluck up her courage and ask out anyone she wanted, even if it made perfect sense to her. However, she didn't understand why it didn't feel right. Surely it _must_ , when her feelings were so strong that they were interfering with her daily life.

"I..." She bit down on her lower lip, trying to put her thoughts into words. Would they even make sense, though? "... think that my feelings would be a burden to her." Karin's eyes widened, shocked to hear those words coming from Ayumu. "She gets so into the things she's passionate about, and it never felt like it was my place to distract her from that. Now she's fallen in love with school idols, and she has so much to focus on. She's making sure that everything goes smoothly, and she's doing it for all of us." Clasping her hands together, she smiled sadly. "It would be selfish of me to split her attention like that. I'm no more special than any other idol."

"Ayumu..." Karin sighed, placing both of her hands on Ayumu's shoulders. "That's no way to think. You're important to Yuu, you know? She already knows something's going on with you, and it's better if you tell her the truth before she susses it out for herself." It was easy enough to realize how much the two childhood friends cared for each other. Every time Ayumu tried to downplay herself, Yuu would immediately jump up and make sure everyone knew just how incredible she was. Sure, she was encouraging towards all of them, but there was a difference between the rest of them and how she spoke about Ayumu.

"I just don't want to distract her." Ayumu kept blushing, though this time it was because of what Karin said. She wasn't going to dispute what Karin said: she was pretty sure that she _was_ important to Yuu. They wouldn't be friends for such a long time otherwise. She just knew that their feelings weren't the same, though. How could they be, when Yuu was destined to shine so much brighter than she ever would?

"It seems to me that _you're_ the one distracted," Karin pointed out. "Or were you not faltering at practice because you were so engrossed with Yuu?" It was really unfortunate how transparent she was to Karin... The truth was, practice had been a struggle for a little while now: she'd just been able to hide it better. She was supposed to be watching Yuu, who was usually leading their practices, but sometimes she watched a bit _too_ much. Her focus would be on the girl herself instead of her instructions: the way she would watch them with such concentration, only to break out into a familiar smile whenever they would perform something particularly tricky correctly. That was the girl she had slowly but surely fallen in love with, and it was distracting as all hell.

"I suppose you're right..."

"If holding this inside keeps you distracted, then it could affect you during our performance. Wouldn't that be worse for both you and Yuu?" Ayumu sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. If she messed up on stage in front of all of those people, would Yuu be disappointed in her? Gods, how could she face her again if that happened? She swallowed nervously, her stomach actively rebelling against her. Now she was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"I don't want that! I wouldn't let that happen!" Was that something she could promise, though? She wanted to believe that during their actual performance, her mind would be clear: there'd be nothing in there but her steps and the girls dancing and singing around her. However, her thoughts showed her the truth, as she automatically started thinking about the tenth girl behind the curtain. The most important girl there: the one who would be smiling and cheering along with everyone else. Those were the only cheers that mattered, after all.

"Ayumu?" She felt something poking her cheek, and she looked to see Karin staring at her with a knowing grin. "You were thinking about Yuu, weren't you?" Oh Gods, had she been spacing out. Blushing anew, she looked away, refusing to answer. However, her lack of an answer was enough. For your own sake, I really do think that you should tell Yuu how you feel. I know you don't want to distract her, but it's distracting _you_ , and you need to think about yourself this time."

"Alright Karin, I'll try." She tried to smile self-assuredly, but she could feel her hesitance. Karin was right: if she kept kicking this down the road, she'd continue to be distracted. Things had been fine for years: she'd been able to be close to Yuu as friends, and she could feel okay with that. Now that Yuu's attention was torn between nine other girls, as well all the other behind-the-scenes work that she'd taken on, the time they spent together was significantly lessened. They were always in the same room, but sometimes it felt as if they were miles apart. It was hard not to notice that, and she would keep staring, wishing Yuu's attention was on her. That would cause her to slip up, just like today. It seemed to be getting worse...

She felt so selfish thinking like that, though. Just because they had been friends for a long time didn't mean she deserved to monopolize her attention, but... telling Yuu her feelings wouldn't be selfish, right? She would be doing it to remove her own distraction, which was negatively impacting their group. In a way, it was the _opposite_ of selfish. At least, that's what she kept telling herself as she headed out of the school. It was the only way she could get herself to tell the truth.

What if Yuu didn't feel the same, though? Worse, what if it hurt their friendship? If Yuu didn't feel the same way she did, maybe she wouldn't want to spend as much time together. It would be awkward between them, and that would leak into the group. Which meant that she'd be _hurting_ the group by telling Yuu how she felt. Gods, she was hurting the group by being distracted due to her not saying anything, and she might hurt them regardless if she _did_ say something, but her feelings weren't reciprocated. Why did she have to feel this way??

Her mind was still unsure when she got outside and saw Yuu waiting for her. Gulping, she approached her childhood friend, trying to muster up the courage to say what needed to be said. However, she found herself unable to say anything with Yuu's soft smile acting like a ray of sunshine in her eyes. The struggle was real.

"Everything alright?" The two of them began to walk home, their footsteps synchronized side by side.

"Mhm. Karin didn't grill me too hard." She was dancing around the subject. Yuu was right there, and it was only the two of them. This was the perfect time to admit to how she felt, but then she'd look at the cute girl next to her and lose her nerve. Her feelings bloomed like a garden of flowers in her heart, but she was terrified that they would wilt and die should her feelings not be reciprocated. Their friendship was precious to her. She didn't want to risk losing it.

"That's good." She was just going to have to focus even harder. The chance of losing their friendship wasn't worth it, even if there might be a chance of them getting together. That would be wonderful, but all she could think of now was if it went wrong. It would break her heart, and wouldn't that be _more_ distracting? Suppressing a sigh, she mentally apologized to Karin. Somehow, she was just going to have to do this without saying what was in her heart.

* * *

She had never been more nervous in her life. The ten girls of Nijigasaki - nine performers and their coach - were in the dressing room, preparing for their performance. They had practiced until everything was perfect, and now they all felt confident in their dancing and singing abilities. That didn't mean they weren't nervous, though. No matter how much practice they had done, there was always that worry in the back of their minds that they were going to fail when it really mattered.

There was more to it than that for Ayumu, though. Sure, she didn't want to make a mistake on stage. Not only would it be embarrassing, but she'd let her fellow idols down. Worse than that, though, she was terrified of what Yuu would think. She had put so much effort into getting all of this set up for them. Without her coaching, there wouldn't even be a Nijigasaki idol group. They certainly wouldn't be preparing to stand on such a large stage, with so many people watching. If she failed, all of Yuu's hard work would have been wasted.

She wished that she could take Karin's advice, because the distractions were only getting worse. The last practice they had, she had fallen right on her face. That was embarrassing enough, but she burned when Yuu rushed over to check if she was okay. She was so caring... and she could see the disapproval on Karin's face. Obviously she knew that she hadn't told her the truth. Just like Karin had said, she was worse off with all of that weighing down on her mind. Wasn't it too late now to tell her, though?

"Ayumu?" She turned to find Yuu standing right next to her, which made her jump. "Hey, are you okay? You're really jumpy." That was such an understatement that it made her laugh out loud. "Ayumu?"

"I'm okay!" She tried to smile reassuringly, but her strained smile and high-pitched voice only made Yuu look more concerned. "Just nervous. We're really going to be on stage with Muse and Aqours." That was true enough, at least. However, even standing on stage with the titans of school idols was secondary to what she was truly worried about.

"I'm nervous too, and I'm not even going to be on stage with you. I can only imagine how you're feeling." Yuu's reassuring smile actually looked reassuring, as opposed to her own falsehood. "I believe in all of you, though. You've trained so hard to get here, and that's because of your own abilities. This stage... You all deserve to be here." Her eyes were wide and lit up with excitement and wonder. "I'm so proud of you, Ayumu."

"Of me?" Ayumu's eyes widened, heat pooling in her cheeks. "Why?"

"Because you've worked so hard, and you did it because I asked you to join me." Yuu started to fidget, a light blush coming to her own face. "I had felt bad that maybe my sudden love of idols forced you to join something you weren't interested in. However, you've become such an incredible idol in your own right. The way you sing and dance is so captivating. I often can't take my eyes off of you!" She didn't seem to realize what she had said was embarrassing, but Ayumu sure did. "I'm so thankful that you joined me on this journey. I don't think I could have done it without you."

"Oh, Yuu..." Ayumu felt her eyes growing misty. She was caught off guard, scarcely able to believe that Yuu felt that way about her. Had she really made such a difference? Gods, now she really _would_ be only thinking of Yuu for the entire performance, and of what she wished she could say out loud. She would completely screw everything up if she kept silent a moment longer. "I have to tell you something, and if I wait until after our performance, I'm going to explode!"

"What is it?" Yuu tilted her head, looking way too cute for her own good. She didn't seem to have any idea what Ayumu was going to say.

"I-I..." Well, it was now or never, right? "I have feelings for you, Yuu. No, that's not right... I _love_ you, Yuu. I love you so much! I've felt this way about you since middle school, and keeping it inside has just been killing me! That's why I've been messing up in practice: because all I can think of is you. How pretty you are, and how wonderful of a friend you've been to me. I've been so scared that you wouldn't feel the same way about me, but if I don't say something, I'm going to go out there and make a fool of myself. I don't want to do that, especially to you..." She took a deep breath, unable to look Yuu in the eyes. "You mean so much to me, Yuu. I didn't want to lose you as a friend..."

"Ayumu..." Yuu was staring at her with eyes that looked big enough to cover half her face. She had been shocked into near silence, and it made Ayumu start to squirm in place. Oh, she had really done it now, hadn't she? "I didn't know you felt that way..." Ayumu's heart fell right into her stomach, while also feeling as if she'd been punched in the guy. Yuu didn't feel the same way, did she? "You... You make me feel the same way, you know?"

"I... Wait, what?!" Ayumu shouted, accidentally drawing the attention of the other girls. Their 'secret' conversation had been listened in on by the others, but not everything could be properly deciphered. It could when one of them was shouting, however. "You... You feel the same way as me?"

"Well, yeah. How could I not?" She was blushing just as much as Ayumu was now, but Yuu spoke with the same conviction that she had for her idols. "It feels like you've been with me my entire life. Whenever I get too far into something, you're always there to pull me back. Whenever I fall down, you always pick me up. Nobody else does for me what you do, and I've never forgotten that. You mean so much to me, Ayumu. As a friend, and... m-maybe more than that." Her confidence finally faltered, and now it was her who couldn't look Ayumu in the eyes.

"You really mean that?" Ayumu had to make sure. When Yuu nodded, it felt like a gigantic weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt as light as a feather, and she started to giggle uncontrollably. Yuu looked back up at her, confused about what was so funny. She was about to explain herself, but then there was a knock at the door.

"Girls, please be on stage in ten minutes." Oh goodness, it was already time! That broke a spell that had seemed to settle over the room. They had been so focused on what was going on between Ayumu and Yuu that they had almost forgotten that there was a reason they were there. Everyone started to move at once, making sure they were ready to step on stage. In that moment, it kind of felt like the two of them were alone.

"Yuu, thank you for being there for me. Not just in this idol group, but for our entire lives. Your support means the world to me." Smiling, she put her hands in Yuu's. "Please keep cheering me on out there. I know that I can focus now that I know how you feel. Just one more thing..." Before Yuu could ask what it was, Ayumu leaned in and kissed her. It was a short kiss, but it still managed to short-circuit poor Yuu's brain.

"Hah... Wha...?"

Giggling and blushing, Ayumu ran over to the mirror to get ready, continuing to laugh when she saw Yuu still standing in utter disbelief in the reflection. Honestly, she wasn't sure how she could act so calm herself when she'd just bared her soul to the one person she loved above all others. It was probably because her feelings had actually been reciprocated. In her mind, she'd expected that she would get rejected, but that wasn't even close to what happened. It made her heart soar, and she felt like she could do anything. This concert? No problem at all! She could dance out there with her eyes closed!

When they were all on stage together, dancing and singing in front of thousands of screaming fans, all the worries and distraction that had plagued her mind were gone. It wasn't that she wasn't thinking of Yuu anymore, but instead of driving her to make mistakes, it spurred her on to greater heights. Knowing that her childhood friend, the one that she truly loved, was behind the curtain cheering them on, made her feel like nothing could possibly go wrong.

She was doing this for the other girls on stage, for Muse and Aqours, and for all the fans in the audience. However, it was really all for the one girl who believed in her more than she had believed in herself. _'Thank you, Yuu.'_


End file.
